


I'll Be There To Catch You When You Fall

by jasonpetertodd



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Batman - Freeform, Black Bat - Freeform, DC comics - Freeform, First Robin, M/M, Nightwing - Freeform, Red Hood - Freeform, Second Robin, Thomas Grayson - Freeform, jaydick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-03 01:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1726649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasonpetertodd/pseuds/jasonpetertodd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s funny in a way if you truly think about the subject. Love, that is. It’s a cancerous thing; a chronic disease that builds up and up over time. It’s a slow moving poison, seeping within the veins of its victims, bringing them to their knees in moments of pure weakness. In short, it’s something that can kill you.</p><p>We’ve all been infected. And sometimes, very rarely, we can manage to rid ourselves of such a dangerous thing. But other times, most of the time, it literally destroys us, diminishes us to nothing but a ragged lump of sorrow and utter desolation. </p><p>Love is like fire, a force not to be toyed with. A force that can rise up and rage in uncontrollable roves of fiery passion, igniting sparks between two people and joining them as one, flickering flame in utter harmony before it dies out. </p><p>Our story begins with two very different people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part in a small story I've decided to write. It's inspired by the song Mockingbird by Eminem. I hope you enjoy and feedback is greatly appreciated. FYI, this is the first JayDick fic I've ever written, so I apologize if it's a bit rocky.

It’s funny in a way if you truly think about the subject. Love, that is. It’s a cancerous thing; a chronic disease that builds up and up over time. It’s a slow moving poison, seeping within the veins of its victims, bringing them to their knees in moments of pure weakness. In short, it’s something that can kill you.

We’ve all been infected. And sometimes, very rarely, we can manage to rid ourselves of such a dangerous thing. But other times, _most_ of the time, it literally destroys us, diminishes us to nothing but a ragged lump of sorrow and utter desolation.

Love is like fire, a force not to be toyed with. A force that can rise up and rage in uncontrollable roves of fiery passion, igniting sparks between two people and joining them as one, flickering flame in utter harmony before it dies out.

Our story begins with two very different people.

One is a broken man, a man who once (quite literally) stood with vengeance; a man who fell from his glorious perch as a Robin with lustrous plumage. A man who’s death went unavenged by the one person he thought he could count on until he was reborn into a whole new light.

The other is a man of great valor and pride that rose from a shattered reality of peace, someone who bore the mark of greatness and came out even stronger than before; someone who still fights for justice in all the right ways.

Jason Todd and Dick Grayson: two very different men who are one in the same

Their relationship was one like no other. It was sour and sweet, corrupted and beautifully twisted. They were each other’s drug, their delicious demise.

Their story is one written for the History Books.

It started off as simple glances, the meeting of brilliant blue eyes when on patrol around the damned city. It took time, but it advanced, grew into small touches, side conversations and smiles after dealing with a group of drug dealers or men who sold women into prostitution rings.

The first kiss they ever shared was definitely not their last.

It had been raining, the constant dribble of the water against the worn buildings of Gotham resembling the pounding of tribal drums, a sound that made Jason feel as if he would be driven out of his mind. Well, if he wasn’t already mad enough.

He was perched atop one of the abandoned Laffco buildings, an undesignated meeting place for the pair of heroes. The extremely aged wood was slick of course, and Jason tread carefully across the rooftop, heading straight for the other side of the building where Dick would no doubt be meeting him. It had become a routine, one they fell into easily. Hell, if Jason wasn’t stubborn enough to admit his feelings, he might’ve said they were already married in a sense.

“Heads up, Jaybird!”

The whimsical voice came from the other side of the roof, and Jason turned, eyes widening in surprise as none other than Dick Grayson came vaulting towards him, doing a bunch of fancy tricks and flips that he could never in his life dream to accomplish all at once. Sidestepping the man currently wheeling about doing cartwheels, he couldn’t help the slight twitch of his chapped lips, the twinkle in his concealed eyes that suddenly appeared as he did so.

“Jesus, Dickface, gotta be caref-“ Words cutting off, his breath caught in his throat, and he lunged forward with the striking speed of a viper, leather clad digits clasping the kevlar layered one’s that threatened to disappear over the ledge of the warehouse with the body that they were connected to.

 “ _Fuckin’ idiot_!” With a hefty tug, Jason went tumbling backwards, the audible ‘oof’ of the air leaving his lungs easily heard as a heavy form thudded atop him as they collapsed atop the roof. “It’s slicker than snot, Dick! _Dammit_! Be _careful_!”

The man hovering above him swallowed nervously, adrenaline pumping through his veins vigorously from the fright of nearly falling to his very death. Much like his parents…

“J-Jason! Cripes, I’m… I’m…” Hesitating, he blinked, wanting to apologize so very badly before he suddenly realized the position that the two were in. His limber legs were strung over Jason’s side, hands resting besides his strappy shoulders. His heart practically stopped beating within his chest, long strands of Romani locks sticking to the side of his face as he peered down at the broad figure beneath him, eyes widening beneath the slash of cobalt hiding his orbs away from the world.

Jason froze instinctively, not particularly enjoying the weight of having another atop of him. He wasn’t fond of being this close to anyone- wait? Why wasn’t Grayson talking? He never shut up, why would he… _Oh_ … His large hands hesitantly _, instinctively_ , went to the pair of curved hips mere inches over his, and his currently unhelmeted forehead tilted up, pressing against Dick’s cool flesh as his breathing became labored, indecision flickering in his orbs. Should he?... Or should he not?... Would he even return it?...Before even coming close to making a decision, Dick was pulling out of Jason’s grasp, bending backwards agilely into a bridge and flipping to his feet anxiously, stepping backwards, looking mildly frightened before he cleared his throat, shuffling around almost awkwardly.

Jason nearly flinched, jaw clenching before he himself rose to his feet, his whole stature becoming rigid. So… Just friends… Just friends… The word itself made him feel sick, and God, he wanted to just get out of there… But maybe it was for the better. He was Bruce Wayne’s kid, after all. If it got out to the press that he was just the slightest bit queer… Shaking the thoughts from his head, he turned and shot Dick a forced looking grin, fully intending on finishing a stiff conversation between the two of them and _getting the hell away from him._

“Geez, Jay, for a second there, I thought you were going to give me a little smooch. Guess I was wrong, huh? Too bad I chickened out. But then again, it sorta looked like you might’ve gotten sick and backed out as well…” That painstakingly familiar charismatic grin curled upon Dick’s lips, and _oh god_. Jason’s mind was suddenly reeling as if he’d been slapped silly, something warm bubbling up within his chest. He _wanted_ Jason to kiss those pretty pink lips of his… The anti-hero practically freezes, the look of shock prominent on his statuesque features evident as he gazes at Dick with widened eyes beneath his red domino. Snapping out of his reverie, he takes a moment longer to process the elder’s words, looking almost breathless before smirk comes upon his mouth.

“Was that, by any chance, a _challenge_ , dear Dickiebird?...” It’s Dick’s turn to look slightly shocked, but he flows with it, daring to take a step towards the now confident Jason with a puffed out chest, his smile growing as the span of silence draws out between the two. Seeming to choose his words very carefully, Dick rests a finger against his chin, fixing Jason with a look that he can’t quite see because of his damned domino, but it’s something that causes him to shudder, to make his skin crawl with desire…

“Maybe, maybe not, Todd. Why don’t you come over here and figure it out for yourself?”

And that’s all he needs for confirmation.

In one moment he’s standing a good five feet from the other man, in the next, he’s stationed right in front of him, one hand sliding around to cup the nape of his neck, the other splaying wide across the small of his back, tugging him forward until their chests are pressed flush together. Roses threaten to bloom across Dick’s cheeks, and his lips part, eyes lifting to stare at the white eyelets of the red domino the taller man downs. He’s never wanted to have been so close to someone before, and he can’t help to feel that this is _wrong_. They’re practically brothers, not to mention the same sex. But before any more thoughts of doubt can bombard his mind, his lips are being claimed in a gentle embrace of unspoken passion, and his cobalt orbs flutter shut, arms coming up to snake around Jason’s neck.  

And Dick pretends.

Pretends that whatever’s blossoming between them is normal, pretends that he possibly can _love_ the wayward son he’s now clutching so close without any problems, without other’s judging him for his decisions.

And in that moment, in that little sliver of time, Dick pretends that they’re the only two in the world, and that the rain can shield them from whatever life is about to throw their way. Because now he knows.

He knows that Jason will always be there to catch him when he falls.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is really, really late and I know that. I'm sorry for taking forever, but the summer and this new school year has my head still spinning. I'll be trying to update more often, I swear. So this chapter I've decided to take a new sort of style of writing I've read in other fics and apply it to the story just to test it out. Criticism is welcome and I hope you enjoy! Also, I wrote this on my phone so I apologize for any mistakes. Thanks!

It starts off like a ripening bud in mid Spring, gradually blooming and growing into a precious plant who's petals crave the constant nurturing warmth of Summer's sweet heat.

And Jason Todd swears he has never felt true happiness before this.

He tells Dick so, and the Romani man's expression always seems to falter when he does, something like disbelief flickering within those brilliant cobalts. Dick knows of his pain, the suffering and betrayals from Jason's past. But to think that he hasn't ever felt joy like he does now... Well, the thought makes him sick, and the curious acrobat just has to know exactly why. He is a detective, after all. It's in his nature to want to know about things he hasn't yet grasped... It takes courage, and he finds himself daring to question the other about it as they lay in bed after a particularly long night of patrol beneath the waning moon, exchanging gentle, lingering touches under the cool sheets.

"Jay?" Dick's response is a questioning hum, and he turns his gaze to the other to discover that Jason's eyes are closed, dark lashes splayed out over flushed cheeks.

"You always say you weren't happy before this... Before _us_. Why?..." Jason stiffens as a slender hand brushes over his stubbled cheek, something like a grimace coming upon his features before his eyes flutter open, uneasily coming to rest upon Dick's curious expression.

"Christ, Dickweed. Way to put a damper on my good mood." A cheeky grin slides on to Jason's lips, but it looks forced, and Dick knows that a topic such as this is a touchy subject.

Dick presses on, anyway. He's dealt with everything from meta humans to crazed assassins. He's confident that he can have a possibly emotional conversation with his boyfriend... Boyfriend. He loves the sound of that...

"Jason..." Dick scoots closer to the body radiating heat next to him, a slim hand coming up to splay across the warm muscled flesh of Jason's chest, right over his pulsing heart. "Please?"

Jason looks conflicted, and he very nearly flinches when Dick's hand comes to lay over his heart, eyes fluttering just slightly before a heavy sigh escapes his pouted lips.

"...I'm a sucker for those eyes of yours, and you sure know how to put them to good use..."

A spark of victory flashes across Dick's features, but it's soon to disappear as Jason props himself up with his elbow, pearly whites sinking into the younger's lower lip as he probes his mind for the right way to say what he needs to say. He's always had a way with words, but if they're needed to say something rather... Personal, he fails, flounders and drowns in unspoken emotions that leave him gaping like an open wound... Well, actions always speak louder than words, and going down that route always seems to get him to where he needs to go.

Swallowing hard, the antihero's calloused fingers cautiously wrap around the slender wrist still pressed against his torso, guiding it towards the inflamed scars that mar the expanse of his muscled chest and belly, allowing the first Robin to explore the deep and rough ridges with stilled fingertips, taking his time as he traces that warm touch across wounds deeper than just flesh. The one's Jason lets him feel are older than the rest, but they look freshly healed, puckered and broken, a jagged line that cuts into the fabric of a perfect being. It's a strange feeling, the tightness that suddenly erupts within Dick's chest, the intruding fist that encloses his racing heart and squeezing so hard he's sure it'll burst. It's impossible to imagine what it felt to be abandoned, to be given a second chance only to have it snatched away, to die alone besides a mother he'd never known in a ball of flames and to still carry the sharp memories ingrained within his flesh as a reminder every day of what happened.

Jason's showing him the pain buried within the long since healed lacerations. But not just the physical scars.

The emotional ones, too.

 

Death is not a kind friend.

_Stay strong when his feet are ripped out from beneath him, cradle him in your arms when he cries out for the things he no longer has. Remind him of what he lives for now, for night may bare the scars of yesterday, but every new dawn holds a brighter horizon._

Dick shifts forward then, his free hand coming up to cradle Jason's cheek, thumb brushing away the tears that won't dare to fall from those twinkling eyes, and the acrobat's sure that this is what was meant to become of himself.

And Dick Grayson is positive that he has never loved anyone as much as he loves Jason Todd.

Every touch from then on lingers a little more every time, the shared spark of passion igniting into flames between each of them, a curdling heat in their bellies telling them that this is what they were destined to have. A shared kiss morphs into two, two into four, four into eight.

Time is no longer a concept.

_Breathe 'I love you' against his skin, whisper your promises and hopes and dreams and pray that he shares the same thoughts._

Nobody else exists besides them.

_Entwine your fingers with his, mark him as yours, don't let one inch of him feel unloved or empty._

Slow and deliberate. Jason reminds himself that actions speak louder than words.

_Arch your back, leave lines across his spine, and whisper in his ear. Make sure he knows how much you want this. How much you want him._

Minutes spur into what seems like hours, and finally with a chorus of muffled cries, they've finished, panting breaths and murmured words of content filling the empty bedroom.

Time starts again.


End file.
